Document:

PROPOSAL FOR A TRAINING OF TRAINERS

WORKSHOP FOR LIBRARIANS ON THE WSF AT
NAIROBI SAFARI CLUB ON 19TH 22ND MARCH
2006


This proposal was written by Esther Obachi, the secretary of Kenya
Library Association. The Finnish Embassy in Nairobi decided to grant
support for the workshop from its fund for local cooperation, and the
workshop was held at the Lenana training centre 3-5 July, 2006.


The World Social Forum is a global movement that addresses global social
injustice. It was established in Brazil in the year 2000. It holds annual
conferences that bring together groups and individuals that fight for social
justice. Social injustices are committed in every community in the world.
Highlighting these injustices may deter the perpetuators or even stop them all
together. Disseminating information on the same to the population can also
empower them to fight the injustice.

The role of librarians is to gather, organize and disseminate information. The
current librarians, especially in Africa, have shunned the first step gathering
information and dwelt on the last two. In the 2004 WSF the then president of
IFLA, Kay Raseroka promised participants that Librarians would take part in the
WSF process. However, no librarian took part in the 2005 conference. In the
2006 WSF conference that was held in Bamako, Mali, NIGD sponsored a library
workshop to deliberate on the role of libraries in the WSF process. In the
workshop, participants agreed that libraries have a major role to play in the WSF
as they are the links between the forum and the world population. It was also
noted that just as the Translators call themselves Babels the Librarians could
also have the Bibles so as to collect information, organize it and disseminate it
for posterity and empowerment of the people. Unlike journalists whose
information is only valid for a few days and there after discarded, librarians
could gather information in all formats, store it for posterity purposes and
disseminate it to those who the WSF represent in the conference the
marginalized groups.

Therefore, participants resolved that there is a need to sensitize and integrate
librarians in the WSF activities so as to be involved fully in the process. The two
librarians from Kenya, three from Mali one from Malawi, a journalist and web
designer from Nigeria and other friends of the library who were in the forum
agreed that a workshop to induct librarians into the WSF in preparation for the
2007 WSF that will be held in Nairobi be organized in Nairobi.

The WSF conference is a mammoth activity that has several workshops and
other activities running concurrently for seven days. For librarians to cover all
these activities fully, one would need not less than 600 librarians. Since it is not
possible to train six hundred people at once, it is necessary to train just a few
who will train others in turn.

It is on this note that Kenya Library Association wishes to take up the challenge
and organize a training of trainers workshop for librarians in Nairobi in
preparation for the 2007 conference. The training aims at inducting librarians
into the WSF. It will also train librarians on how various activities can be covered
and information collected from the forum be disseminated.

1. The training will involve introducing participants to the WSF activities
2. Training librarians on basic journalism skills
3. Basic media technology: Information equipment like digital cameras, and
video camera
4. Ethical considerations for journalists and librarians
5. Filtering facts from fiction.
6. Information legislation
7. Management and dissemination of the WSF information

Because the WSF covers topics in all aspects of life, it is not advisable to have
any librarian covering any activity. Therefore, subject librarians will be needed to
cover areas of their specializations. Kenya Library Association intends to hold
this workshop in June 2006.